Athletic Bilbao vs Rayo Vallecano Tips & Preview - Hosts to maintain impressive form at San Mames

By Tolu Shotade

10 seconds ago

Tolu Shotade 10 seconds ago

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Athletic Bilbao host Rayo Vallecano in La Liga at San Mames.
Bilbao won 3-2 against Sevilla, showcasing strong attacks but defensive fragility.
Rayo secured two consecutive away wins, albeit with defensive weaknesses.

Athletic Bilbao vs Rayo Vallecano

Athletic Bilbao welcome Rayo Vallecano to San Mames for a Monday night Spanish La Liga fixture, with both teams looking to build on wins from the opening weekend.

Both teams are sharp going forward and could be set to serve up a thrilling contest. However, the hosts boast an imperious record in front of their fans and should claim the upper hand in this one.

Athletic Bilbao News

Athletic Bilbao kicked things off with a 3-2 home victory over Sevilla in their opening fixture of the season. They threw away a two-goal lead from Nico Williams and Maroan Sannadi before Robert Navarro netted a late winner.

Manager Ernesto Valverde will be pleased with the win as Athletic Bilbao were coming off six straight preseason defeats. That result also maintains a solid La Liga home record as they have only lost three times at San Mames since the start of the 2023-24 season.

The opening fixture highlighted Athletic Bilbao's attacking quality, and they have scored in six of their last eight matches across all competitions. However, they are without a clean sheet in seven of those eight fixtures, while six matches in this run have produced over 2.5 goals.

Rayo Vallecano News

Rayo Vallecano also began with a victory as they triumphed 3-1 at Girona in their opening fixture. They followed up that result with a 1-0 win at Neman in the UEFA Conference League playoff first leg.

It has been a solid start to the season for Rayo Vallecano, who have now picked up two away wins ahead of the trip to San Mames. Manager Inigo Perez will be keen to use that as a platform to build some consistency on their travels, having lost four of their last eight La Liga away matches.

Like the hosts, Rayo Vallecano have no problems going forward, but tend to be a bit shaky at the back. They have scored and conceded in three of their last four La Liga matches, with all three fixtures producing over 2.5 goals.

Head to Head

Athletic Bilbao have 17 wins and seven draws, while Rayo Vallecano have only claimed seven victories from 30 previous matches. The hosts did the double last season, earning a 2-1 away victory before winning 3-1 at home in the reverse fixture.

Verdict

Athletic Bilbao v Rayo Vallecano

Athletic Bilbao boast a good record against Rayo Vallecano and will also be keen to extend their impressive run on home soil. Having done the double last season, the hosts are expected to claim the upper hand once again.

Both teams have scored in the last two meetings, which have also produced over 2.5 goals. Monday's clash is likely to serve up a similar outcome.

Athletic Bilbao

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